Transfer-ticket.



Patented Dec. 13,1910.

H. J. SMITH.

TRANSFER TICKET.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNI: 1a, 1909.

HENRY J'. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRANSFER-TICKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed .T une 16, 1909. Serial No. 502,407.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Transfer-Tickets, fullydescribed and represented in the following specifcation and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in transfer tickets forstreet railways.

In some cities the conditions under which street railways are operatedrequire that a passenger paying his fare upon one line be entitled totransportation to any point on any other line which is a part of thesame system. l/Vhere the system includes a number of different linesrunning in various directio-ns, this often requires that the passengerbe entitled, upon payment of his fare upon a given line, to continue hisride, not only upon an intersecting line, but on another line whichintersects the intersecting line. Under some circumstances, thepassenger may even be entitled to a ride on still another or fourth linewhich intersects the second intersecting line. Under the conditionsreferred to, the usual practice has been for the line on which thepassenger pays his fare, or the issuing line, to issue a transfer goodon an intersecting line, and possibly also on a line intersecting saidintersecting line, the transfer to be 'iven up on the secondintersecting line. hould there be, however, a fourth line intersectingthe second intersecting line, the passenger may be entitled to ride onthat line, provided, of course, it be embraced in the same system, andmay, therefore, be entitled to exchange his transfer for a secondtransfer, which transfer is issued with a new A time limit and entitlesthe passenger to all the privileges which would have resulted had anactual fare been paid upon said line. lVhere the system is large,embracing numerous intersecting lines, great abuses of the transfersystem have resulted, for the reason that a passenger will demand atransfer whether or not he is intending to use it immediately. I-Ieleaves the car on which he has been riding, therefore, with a transferwhich is alive7 and which will remain alive for the time limit for whichit is punched. If within that time limit he boards a car upon a line onwhich his transfer is good, he may be able to exchange it for anothertransfer which is again issued with a new time limit. In large citieswhere the travel is heavy and where conductors cannot pay closeattention to time limits, this may, and in some cases practically doesresult in an almost indefinite issuance of transfers.

Transfers are usually so issued as to be good only in one generaldirection, that is to say, a passenger having elected to travel in agiven direction cannot, thereafter, reverse his direction of travel overthe same line or any other line which parallels it. Assuming, forinstance, that a passenger boards a car on a cross-town line, he may, atthe intersecting point, elect t0 travel either up or down with respectto the cross-town line. If he elects to go down, he may, farther downthe line, board another cross-town intersecting line and travel ineither direction on that line, but when he leaves the second crosstowncar, he can only travel on the next intersecting line in the downdirection. If, however, Within the time limit of his transfer on a linegoing in one direction, he boards a car on any line going in theopposite direction, and, paying a fare, obtains a transfer which givesan uptown privilege, he may then, by changing his transfers within theirtime limits, continue his travel in either direction practicallyindefinitely, having paid only two fares.

The object of this invention is to produce an improved transfer ticketby which a passenger may obtain a continuous ride between any two pointson a system, the privilege of the transfer being extinguished by the useof the transfer within the time limit or by the lapse of the time limitset when the transfer is originally issued, in case the transfer is notused within that limit.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates a transfer ticket constructedin accordance with the invention, A indicates a body portion which bearsthe name of the issuing line, the contract under which the transfer isissued, and a series of time limit indications, these comprising, on theticket illustrated, the hours from five oclock in the morning untilnoon. This body portion has attached to it two coupons B and C, thesecoupons in the ticket illustrated, being attached to different ends ofthe body portion. The coupon B bears the names of three lines which areassumed to be in the same system with the issuing line and on which thetransfer will be good, provided the coupon when presented, be attachedto the body portion, these lines being lines which intersect the issuingline. VThe coupon C bears the names of three lines on which this couponis good, provided it be attached to the body portion when presented, itbeing assumed that these lines are lines which intersect the lines namedon the coupon B. It may happen, and frequently does in large systems,that some or all of the lines named on the transfer may intersect at acommon transfer point, in which case the passenger must be privileged toelect as to which coupon he will first use. It is, therefore, important,that the coupons be attached to the central or body portion so thateither one may be-reinoved without detaching the other, which isaccomplished by attaching the coupons to different ends or sides of thecentral or body portion.

Vith the transfer described, and assuming it to be issued by the 23rdstreet X-town line on which the passenger begins his ride and on whichhe pays his fare-the time limit being punched on the transfer at thistime,- he may continue his ride, at the intersection of the X-town line,on any one of the three lines named on the coupon B which are assumed tobe lines intersect-ing the X-town line. I-Ie presents his transfer onthe selected intersecting line and the conductor tears off the coupon B.After having traveled as far as desired on the selected intersectingline, he may still continue his ride on any of the lines named on couponC, provided, however, he presents the transfer Within the time limitpunched on the body portion of the transfer. Upon presentation of histransfer with the att-ached coupon C on this third selected line, theconductor on this line will take up the transfer and coupon C. Further,if it be assumed that the issuing line and any of the lines named on thetwo coupons have a common intersecting point, the transfer enables thepassenger to elect as to whether he will continue his ride on a linenamed on coupon C or on a line named on coupon B. The ticket described,therefore, enables a passenger to ride between any two points in thesystem which can be reached by three continuous rides, and, further,enables him to elect, at a common intersecting point, in which order hewill take the second and third rides provided, which is of essential`importance as the street railway systems of most large cities are laidout. It may happen, under some circumstances, however, that a fourthride will be necessary to reach some point in the system. This may beprovided for by a statement on the body or central portion of the ticketthat the holder thereof is entitled to a ride on the line referred to.Vhen such a transfer is presented on the third line the conductor willnot take up the body of the ticket but will detach the coupon C, leavingthe body of the ticket to be taken up bythe conductor on the fourthline. In the ticket illustrated, this is provided for by the words Goodon 11th Ave. on the body portion of the transfer.

It will be understood, therefore, that the transfer described provides,at the time of issuance, for the necessary rides between any two pointson the system, thus making any exchange of transfers unnecessary.Further, when the transfer is issued, the time limit within which therides may be taken is fixed, as the time cannot be extended byexchanging the transfer for another extending the time. Furthermore, thetransfer operates as a check upon the issuing conductor, as eachconductor must account in cash for the number of transfers he hasissued, since in no case will a transfer be issued except for a paidfare. Further, since a ride cannot be obtained by simply exhibiting atransfer and holding it for use on an additional line, a conductor atthe end of a trip must be ab-le toshow either cash or a transfer forevery passenger who has boarded his car during the trip. The transferpossesses other advantages which need not be here recited, inasmuch asthey will be obvious to those who are accustomed to street railwayoperation.

The construction by which the invention is carried into effect may bevaried in some respects from the particular transfer illustrated. Theinvention is not, therefore, to be limited to the specific transferillustrated and hereinbefore described.

lVhat is claimed is A transfer ticket comprising a central 'or bodyportion bearing a contract under which the ticket is used and a seriesof time limit indications, said body portion having a detachable couponattached there-to bearing indicia defining a line intersecting theissuing line on which the coupon is good, said body portion also havinga second detachable coupon attached thereto which bears indicia defininga line intersecting the before mentidned intersecting line on which thesecond coupon is good, the ticket also bearing indicia to the effectthat the coupons are valid only when attached to the body portion,whereby a passenger, within the time limit for which the ticket islpunched, is entitled to a continuous ride on the issuing line, anintersecting line, and a line intersecting the intersecting line, theticket being canceled either by the lapse of the time for which it ispunched or by the use of the coupons.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. SMITH. IVitnesses A. WHITE, JOHN J. KEARNs.

